My favourite reading in Thailand was Pattaya Today, the local newspaper chronicling the events in Pattaya and the surrounding area. It was always an interesting read, espessially the sections on local crime. I particularly liked the writing style which lacks some of the 'political correctness' of the media in Australia. The articles below are typical.
Policeman breaks leg in line of duty.
IN the early hours of October 7, Pattaya Memorial Hospital admitted a brave police officer who was injured in a chase with two suspects who failed to stop at an authorised checkpoint.
Police senior sergeant major Suchart who is based at the box at Thepprasit Road in Jomtien, sustained a broken leg painful injury as he attempted to stop the two suspects who had ran away from a checkpoint on Jomtien Beach Road. Eventually the two men were forced to stop and were sent to Dongtan cop shop on Jomtien beach road.
Khun Chanchai, aged 27, and Khun Marot, aged 26, claimed that they failed to stop at the checkpoint because they were scared of what might happen to them even though they were innocent of any misbehavior. They stated that they had not committed any crimes and inside their bike were tools (not for burglary by the way) and nothing else which could be considered illegal.
Yet police were able to connect the men to a previous case of bag snatching. After further investigations into the pair, the victim of the earlier crime identified both men later at the police station. Inside the rooms of both men, investigators found two fake guns, 40 mobile phone shells and 42 Buddhist commemorative items. They were arrested and charged with failing to stop when ordered to do so by police and also with theft. Both cases have to be answered before a lofty judge.
Hugging transvestites face citizen’s arrest
Iranian declined companionship for hire
Vol. 8 No. 7, 16 - 31 December 2008
AN Iranian tourist captured two meddling cross dressers at the traffic lights area of the South and Second Road intersection, said to be haunt of the creatures of the night. Arriving breathless, police found Mr Mohammad Abadi, aged 47, with the two men in drag under his control. They said they owned a motor bike to make good their escape but this plan had not worked this time. A total of 2,000 baht was found under their bras with small amounts of other currencies dotted around their nooks and crannies.
At the police station, the man doing the citizen’s arrest said that he was riding a motorbike which stopped at a red signal. One of the transvestites cheekily sat behind him, expressing feelings of love and devotion and wrapping his arms in an attempt to find some loot. Soon, the Iranian realised what was afoot and forced the trannie off the bike. He captured both of them with the help of a Good Samaritan from the public after a short chase.
The perpetrators said they were not newcomers to this sort of activity, but it was their experience that their ploy worked best when the intended victim was blotto. They added that times were hard at the moment and that they needed cash to buy women’s clothes and methamphetamines to spice up their dreary lives which, to be perfectly frank, were a mess. Both were charged with attempted theft and will be in court soon.
